1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to athletic training devices and, more particularly, relates to swing training devices for baseball batters.
2. Background Information
The sport of baseball requires the development of various skills. One of these skills is the ability to optimally swing a baseball bat. While there are many aspects to producing an optimum swing, one aspect is the ability to swing the baseball bat level. A level swing provides optimum contact with the ball and thus produces the best transfer of momentum from the baseball bat to the ball. A level swing can therefore be attributed to better hitting.
As with other repetitive sports, it is desirable to develop what is known as muscle memory for the particular manner of sport movement. Developing muscle memory for a particular sport movement is essentially repeating the particular sport movement until the muscles memorize the particular movement. Thus, repeatedly practicing a level swing allows the utilized muscles to memorize what a level swing is like so that proper execution of a level swing becomes automatic.
In view of this, various devices have been developed that purport to aid in training a batter to swing a baseball bat level. Some of these swing training devices include various manners of hanging a ball from a rope that is attached to a horizontal member. Other swing training devices include a ball that is attached to a rigid member. Still other swing training devices use a combination of the above-mentioned methods such as hanging a rope attached to a ball with a portion of the rope passing through a tube positioned above the ball.
These devices, however, have various drawbacks. For instance, they are typically either overly complex, fail to adequately allow duplication of a level swing, are not well suited to allow the user to easily learn a level swing, or are difficult to adjust to different sized batters. What is therefore needed, for instance, is a baseball bat swing training device that efficiently teaches a player to swing a baseball bat level and is uncomplicated in structure, economic to produce and easily adjustable for different size batters. What is also needed, for instance, is a method for training a baseball batter to swing a baseball bat level.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a baseball bat swing training device that satisfies one or more of the mentioned needs. It is furthermore an object of the present invention to provide a baseball bat swing training method that satisfies one or more of the mentioned needs.